Hello everyone! Well, yesterday we made the 10 hour bus ride from Managua to San Salvador, with two border crossings in between. I never thought that crossing the borders in Honduras and El Salvador could take less time and effort than crossing into Nicaragua. We made the trip in a sweet double decker bus, which was a first for almost all of us, and I rode shotgun on the top level...it was so exciting!
With my last post, we were just getting ready to visit the Nemagon protest in front of the downtown Legislative building. It was a pretty difficult experience. To clarify a little more, Nemagon is a pesticide that was used by big banana companies (Dole, DelMonte, Chiquita, Standard Fruit and others) in the 70s-90s. It was made illegal in the United States around the 80s, as it was causing sterility, birth defects, and soaring cancer rates, however the companies continued to use it in Central America. The company that produced the chemical tried to stop selling it to the banana companies, but they then sued on the grounds that the contract was not being completed. So, after having them sign paperwork saying they knew the side effects the drug was having and were willing to use it anyway, the chemical company agreed to finish the contract. The people we met at the protest are the people who worked in the banana fields while the drug was in use. For 15 years they have been fighting for justice and reparations after suffering from sterility, cancer, and a laundry list of bad side effects. This time they have been protesting in front of the government building for the last 11 months, living in cardboard shacks without any protection from the elements, living off the small support that Daniel Ortega´s government is giving them. What is so sad is that, after having worked and been abused by bad lawyers in the past (awhile back, a large group of those affected were convinced to take a settlement of $100 a person and nothing more), they have decided to forego legal representation and wait for the banana companies to approach them with a settlement that is fair. They aren´t even willing to place a price on how much they want per person, which is so frustrating because there is no way the companies will come meet with them if they don´t even have any specific demands, or legal representation. They know that there is little chance of getting anything, it seems that they just want a little recognition. The man we talked with basically just said it was their last stand before they all die of cancer. It was an extremely sad experience. I talked with a 9 year old boy who was living there with his mother and two younger siblings (his mom worked in the banana fields back in the day). They aren´t attending school and have no other children to play with. It seems a hopeless situation, and yet they all had such hope and kept saying that they were just waiting for God´s blessing.
The next day we went to a lakeside resort-type place. It was a bungalow, Punta Mona like place, only much more touristy. It was so great to have a day off after all the intense things we have been seeing. We made the most of the gorgeous lake, floating dock, innertubes, and kayaks. It was a blast, but we definately are all still feeling the effects of the sun...we still look like lobsters!
On Thursday we went to the Masaya Volcano, which is active. Unfortunately, we didn´t get a good view of any lava, just the smoke. Apparently when the Spanish came they thought there was gold in the volcano. Later they decided it was a gateway to hell, and built a giant cross on it, to protect themselves. During the years of dictatorship, Somoza was known to have dropped people out of helicopters into the volcano.
That evening we met with Fernando Cardenal, brother of Ernesto Cardenal. It was so awe-inspiring to hear the story of a man who lived with the poor as he studied to become a Jesuit priest, and then eventually became part of the Sandinista revolution, following God´s call on his life to serve the poor and bring them justice. After the revolution, he became the Minister of Education and started the Literacy program which brought Nicaragua´s illiteracy rate from over 51% to 12.9% in only 5 months. His life has been so epic, and it was so encouraging to hear that he is still actively fighting poverty and injustice. At the end he gave us all hugs and kisses on the cheek, a perfect goodbye to Nicaragua.
Well, I am having a hard time believing that we only have 3 weeks left. We got our final schedule yesterday, and the end of it was us flying back to the States. Please pray that we will all be present in the moment, and finish this trip off strong. Pray that we will have health and energy to make this final push, and that God will continue speaking to us and changing us into the men and women he wants us to be. You guys have no idea how much I have appreciated your prayers and support, or how much I covet them for these last three weeks!
Love Emily
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
More Nicaragua
Hello again all! Hope that your spring break have gone well or are off to a good start!
Before I forget, my sister told me to point out that maquilas are factories. If you guys ever have questions about or don´t understand my blog, let me know and I´ll clarify. Sometimes I forget that you guys aren´t living this experience with me, and may not always know what I´m talking about:-) Sorry!
The day after my last post, we headed to the department of Miraflor, to the small rural community of Santule. There we were in homestays for a few days. Every homestay we have is just so different, it never ceases to surprise me. Kelsey, Jeff, Jeremy, Ashley T. and I were with a young couple, Marlon and Myra, (they were both about 30 years old), and their adorable 4 year old son Mauricio. It was definately a more impoverished homestay than many of us have had yet. While we had very nice housing (in our terms, but in reality the walls were made of cement and wood scraps), we did have to walk about 5 minutes to the well on Marlon´s father´s land to get water. We were there to learn about a women´s cooperative in the community called Nueva Amanecer. It was really interesting to see the poverty of the area, and yet to see the hope and the development that cooperatives were slowly and surely bringing. Many of the families in the community (including mine) had solar panels which allowed them to have some amount of electricity. My family even had a rainwater collection system, which provides all their water for doing laundry, meaning they dont have to bring all that water from the well, it is right there in the cistern for them to use for laundry. These kind of technologies have been brought in by NGO´s (non-governmental organizations=non profits) who put on workshops through the coop, and then help them get loans to implement the technologies. It was so interesting to hear all of their stories about the wars in the 80s. This community was attacked by the Contra forces on 3 or 4 occasions throughout the years, because of the presence of their cooperative. (The Contras were the US funded forces who fought the Sandinistas because they looked like communists. They attacked cooperatives because they thought it was a communist idea, and anti-capitalist). It was crazy hearing the stories from the members of the community. Marlon remembers being 7 yrs old and having to help pack and then run into the fields, watching out for his younger siblings. It was a great time spent getting to know the families and the different cooperatives in the area.
Then we headed to Ciudad Dario, the hometown of the famous Nicaraguan poet, Ruben Dario. Seeds of Learning is headquartered there. I don´t know if any of you have read Three Cups of Tea, but SOL is doing just about that. They have a Learning Resource Center in Ciudad Dario where children can come, but they also work throughout Nicaragua and El Salvador, building and refurbishing schools. We spent three mornings in the poor community of El Roble, repainting their school. An NGO came in after Hurricane Mitch and built them this school, but it was done quit poorly, meaning that the roof sort of fell apart and the whole building was almost unsafe. So SOL came in, bought supplies to rebuild the roof, we painted the building and the desks and rebuilt some chairs, and the community is fixing up their school. It is so exciting to see how SOL is working sustainably. They are all about seeing what the community´s needs are, and working with the community to fulfill those needs. It is a lot like Habitat for Humanity in the sense that SOL will fund it, as long as the community does the majority of the work themselves. This was definately the poorest area we have worked in yet, and it was very impacting seeing the children and the community all rally around this project. I am really excited about SOL in general, they are such a good example of what it is to truly do development sustainably.
We then came back to Managua for another week of lectures and such. Yesterday morning we visited the Managua dump, and it was really impacting. That was definately the UN´s description of extreme poverty, living off 50 cents to 1dollar a day. We are all still processing that experience I think.
This morning we visited a Women´s Center, which works with women suffering from domestic violence and other things. It was really interesting to learn about all their programs and to hear a little bit about the ¨feminist¨movement in Nicaragua.
This afternoon we will have another lecture and will be visiting a Nemagon protest at the Legislative building. (Nemagon is a drug that US companies sold to Cental America in the 80s after it was outlawed in the US because it had horrible side effects, such as sterility and birth defects).
Please continue to pray for my health. I am doing better now, but about a week ago I had diarhea worse than I have yet. I did a lab test, and had leucosites this time (a parasite, something new!). Anyway, I am on antibiotics now and seem to be doing better, but keep praying. Also, a lot of us have a pretty bad head cold, so just pray for the group in general for health.
We have all been so impressed with Nicaragua. For a country that was so torn apart in the 80s, they have this unquenchable hope that they will rise above it all, and we can see that they really are.
Thats all for now. Thanks for reading, and continue to pray that for us for safety and that we can really be present this last month, learning and listening.
love you all!
Emily
Before I forget, my sister told me to point out that maquilas are factories. If you guys ever have questions about or don´t understand my blog, let me know and I´ll clarify. Sometimes I forget that you guys aren´t living this experience with me, and may not always know what I´m talking about:-) Sorry!
The day after my last post, we headed to the department of Miraflor, to the small rural community of Santule. There we were in homestays for a few days. Every homestay we have is just so different, it never ceases to surprise me. Kelsey, Jeff, Jeremy, Ashley T. and I were with a young couple, Marlon and Myra, (they were both about 30 years old), and their adorable 4 year old son Mauricio. It was definately a more impoverished homestay than many of us have had yet. While we had very nice housing (in our terms, but in reality the walls were made of cement and wood scraps), we did have to walk about 5 minutes to the well on Marlon´s father´s land to get water. We were there to learn about a women´s cooperative in the community called Nueva Amanecer. It was really interesting to see the poverty of the area, and yet to see the hope and the development that cooperatives were slowly and surely bringing. Many of the families in the community (including mine) had solar panels which allowed them to have some amount of electricity. My family even had a rainwater collection system, which provides all their water for doing laundry, meaning they dont have to bring all that water from the well, it is right there in the cistern for them to use for laundry. These kind of technologies have been brought in by NGO´s (non-governmental organizations=non profits) who put on workshops through the coop, and then help them get loans to implement the technologies. It was so interesting to hear all of their stories about the wars in the 80s. This community was attacked by the Contra forces on 3 or 4 occasions throughout the years, because of the presence of their cooperative. (The Contras were the US funded forces who fought the Sandinistas because they looked like communists. They attacked cooperatives because they thought it was a communist idea, and anti-capitalist). It was crazy hearing the stories from the members of the community. Marlon remembers being 7 yrs old and having to help pack and then run into the fields, watching out for his younger siblings. It was a great time spent getting to know the families and the different cooperatives in the area.
Then we headed to Ciudad Dario, the hometown of the famous Nicaraguan poet, Ruben Dario. Seeds of Learning is headquartered there. I don´t know if any of you have read Three Cups of Tea, but SOL is doing just about that. They have a Learning Resource Center in Ciudad Dario where children can come, but they also work throughout Nicaragua and El Salvador, building and refurbishing schools. We spent three mornings in the poor community of El Roble, repainting their school. An NGO came in after Hurricane Mitch and built them this school, but it was done quit poorly, meaning that the roof sort of fell apart and the whole building was almost unsafe. So SOL came in, bought supplies to rebuild the roof, we painted the building and the desks and rebuilt some chairs, and the community is fixing up their school. It is so exciting to see how SOL is working sustainably. They are all about seeing what the community´s needs are, and working with the community to fulfill those needs. It is a lot like Habitat for Humanity in the sense that SOL will fund it, as long as the community does the majority of the work themselves. This was definately the poorest area we have worked in yet, and it was very impacting seeing the children and the community all rally around this project. I am really excited about SOL in general, they are such a good example of what it is to truly do development sustainably.
We then came back to Managua for another week of lectures and such. Yesterday morning we visited the Managua dump, and it was really impacting. That was definately the UN´s description of extreme poverty, living off 50 cents to 1dollar a day. We are all still processing that experience I think.
This morning we visited a Women´s Center, which works with women suffering from domestic violence and other things. It was really interesting to learn about all their programs and to hear a little bit about the ¨feminist¨movement in Nicaragua.
This afternoon we will have another lecture and will be visiting a Nemagon protest at the Legislative building. (Nemagon is a drug that US companies sold to Cental America in the 80s after it was outlawed in the US because it had horrible side effects, such as sterility and birth defects).
Please continue to pray for my health. I am doing better now, but about a week ago I had diarhea worse than I have yet. I did a lab test, and had leucosites this time (a parasite, something new!). Anyway, I am on antibiotics now and seem to be doing better, but keep praying. Also, a lot of us have a pretty bad head cold, so just pray for the group in general for health.
We have all been so impressed with Nicaragua. For a country that was so torn apart in the 80s, they have this unquenchable hope that they will rise above it all, and we can see that they really are.
Thats all for now. Thanks for reading, and continue to pray that for us for safety and that we can really be present this last month, learning and listening.
love you all!
Emily
Friday, March 28, 2008
Nicaragua
Greetings from Managua! I´m sorry that I haven´t updated this in awhile, I´ll try to do a little catch up.
Let me start off by saying thank you for all your prayers regarding my health. As of 6 days ago, I have been healthy! (That means my diarhea stopped six days ago). Praise the Lord!
So, the week after we got back to San Jose from Punta Mona was full of lectures regarding economics, politics, the environment, CAFTA, indigenous rights, and all sorts of things. We also visited the US Embassy, which was an interesting experience to say the least. It was a very full week, and we learned a lot.
The next week we traveled to the Monteverde region and stayed in an ecolodge type place, which is actually a Unversity of Georgia satellite campus. We spent the week visiting different fair trade coffee farms and women´s cooperatives. It was just what we needed after seeing the poverty in Honduras, a little hope that changes can be made, and that fair trade and cooperatives really are making a difference in many areas. We had a few lectures regarding the Monteverde cloud forest, and also fair trade and the cooperative. Fair trade is basically when the farmers or producers are given a living wage for the products that they make. Often it involves cutting out the middleman who normally recieves all of the profits. Translation=fair trade is awesome and is changing lives in central america. We also spent a few nights in homestays within San Luis, the area surrounding the lodge. It was very interesting to see the differences between these families and our Honduran families, and the material wealth that ecotourism has brought to the families in this area. Also, it was a very encouraging experience. After our Honduran homestays, I felt that I would never learn spanish and that I had no skills whatsoever, they were so hard to understand. However, rural Costa Ricans have perfectly clear spanish, and it was so exciting when we could carry on full conversations and understand everything each other said! We did a canopy tour (zipline) in the cloud forest, which was breathtaking. It was a great week.
We then returned to San Jose for second half of Semana Santa (Holy Week), and Parents´Weekend! Thats right, I got to spend 4 days with my Mommy! It was so wonderful to get to see her, and to meet some of the other parents. We went to a parade of the Stations of the Cross in downtown Cartago (the old capital city), which was very impacting. Also, we visited a volcano (inactive) and did some other fun, touristy things. It was a great weekend, and almost like a mini-vacation.
On Monday morning, we packed up and rode a bus to Nicaragua. It was about a 10 hour ride, 2 hours of that being spent crossing the border. Costa Rica felt so much more like the States, entering Nicaragua, it was clear that we were back in Central America, and its good to be back. These last few days we have spent attending more lectures and touring the old downtown Managua, some highlights being visiting the National Palace and talking with a man (clearly suffering from posttraumatic stress) who fought the Honduran Contra forces in the 80s. It was pretty impacting watching him as he described how he killed a Honduran woman ¨just like me¨(and pointing to me), and then talking about how he continually asks God´s forgiveness, and then showing us his battle scars. He even had his name tatooed on his back before he fought so that his family would be able to identify his body if he dies. It was a difficult experience. Also, we visited Somoza´s old palace, which has now been converted into a memorial and museum for Sandino (take that Somoza).
Yesterday we visited the US Embassy. It was a much better experience that visiting the embassy in Costa Rica. It was very interesting to hear the US perspective on Daniel Ortega and his new administration. The foreign service officer began by saying ¨our archnemesis from the 80s¨ is now back in power once again, however, we are trying to make a working relationship with him. It is interesting to hear how the FSLN (Sandinista party) has changed over the last 20 years.
Today we visited a woman who works as a union organizer in the Zona Franca (Free Trade zones = maquilas). She worked in maquilas herself until she got fired for her union work. She had a lot of great things to say about free trade and what it has done within Nicaragua. She continues to work creating and organizing unions, in order to further the rights of maquila workers throughout Nicaragua.
We then visited a microcredit organization today, and learned about their work with small business owners. Over and over we are hearing how it is access to credit that makes the difference in the lives of poor Central Americans, giving them what they need to take those steps out of poverty.
Tomorrow we leave for Esteli, where we will have a 3 night homestay. After that we will be doing some sort of service project through Seeds of Learning. We´ll then return for a few more days in managua, and then we´ll be through with our time in Nicaragua. Please pray for safety as we travel within Nicaragua, and that we will continue to learn a great deal and have open minds and hearts.
Love and miss you all!
Emily
Let me start off by saying thank you for all your prayers regarding my health. As of 6 days ago, I have been healthy! (That means my diarhea stopped six days ago). Praise the Lord!
So, the week after we got back to San Jose from Punta Mona was full of lectures regarding economics, politics, the environment, CAFTA, indigenous rights, and all sorts of things. We also visited the US Embassy, which was an interesting experience to say the least. It was a very full week, and we learned a lot.
The next week we traveled to the Monteverde region and stayed in an ecolodge type place, which is actually a Unversity of Georgia satellite campus. We spent the week visiting different fair trade coffee farms and women´s cooperatives. It was just what we needed after seeing the poverty in Honduras, a little hope that changes can be made, and that fair trade and cooperatives really are making a difference in many areas. We had a few lectures regarding the Monteverde cloud forest, and also fair trade and the cooperative. Fair trade is basically when the farmers or producers are given a living wage for the products that they make. Often it involves cutting out the middleman who normally recieves all of the profits. Translation=fair trade is awesome and is changing lives in central america. We also spent a few nights in homestays within San Luis, the area surrounding the lodge. It was very interesting to see the differences between these families and our Honduran families, and the material wealth that ecotourism has brought to the families in this area. Also, it was a very encouraging experience. After our Honduran homestays, I felt that I would never learn spanish and that I had no skills whatsoever, they were so hard to understand. However, rural Costa Ricans have perfectly clear spanish, and it was so exciting when we could carry on full conversations and understand everything each other said! We did a canopy tour (zipline) in the cloud forest, which was breathtaking. It was a great week.
We then returned to San Jose for second half of Semana Santa (Holy Week), and Parents´Weekend! Thats right, I got to spend 4 days with my Mommy! It was so wonderful to get to see her, and to meet some of the other parents. We went to a parade of the Stations of the Cross in downtown Cartago (the old capital city), which was very impacting. Also, we visited a volcano (inactive) and did some other fun, touristy things. It was a great weekend, and almost like a mini-vacation.
On Monday morning, we packed up and rode a bus to Nicaragua. It was about a 10 hour ride, 2 hours of that being spent crossing the border. Costa Rica felt so much more like the States, entering Nicaragua, it was clear that we were back in Central America, and its good to be back. These last few days we have spent attending more lectures and touring the old downtown Managua, some highlights being visiting the National Palace and talking with a man (clearly suffering from posttraumatic stress) who fought the Honduran Contra forces in the 80s. It was pretty impacting watching him as he described how he killed a Honduran woman ¨just like me¨(and pointing to me), and then talking about how he continually asks God´s forgiveness, and then showing us his battle scars. He even had his name tatooed on his back before he fought so that his family would be able to identify his body if he dies. It was a difficult experience. Also, we visited Somoza´s old palace, which has now been converted into a memorial and museum for Sandino (take that Somoza).
Yesterday we visited the US Embassy. It was a much better experience that visiting the embassy in Costa Rica. It was very interesting to hear the US perspective on Daniel Ortega and his new administration. The foreign service officer began by saying ¨our archnemesis from the 80s¨ is now back in power once again, however, we are trying to make a working relationship with him. It is interesting to hear how the FSLN (Sandinista party) has changed over the last 20 years.
Today we visited a woman who works as a union organizer in the Zona Franca (Free Trade zones = maquilas). She worked in maquilas herself until she got fired for her union work. She had a lot of great things to say about free trade and what it has done within Nicaragua. She continues to work creating and organizing unions, in order to further the rights of maquila workers throughout Nicaragua.
We then visited a microcredit organization today, and learned about their work with small business owners. Over and over we are hearing how it is access to credit that makes the difference in the lives of poor Central Americans, giving them what they need to take those steps out of poverty.
Tomorrow we leave for Esteli, where we will have a 3 night homestay. After that we will be doing some sort of service project through Seeds of Learning. We´ll then return for a few more days in managua, and then we´ll be through with our time in Nicaragua. Please pray for safety as we travel within Nicaragua, and that we will continue to learn a great deal and have open minds and hearts.
Love and miss you all!
Emily
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Back from Punta Mona
Hey everyone! So we are back in San Jose now, in our favorite Hostel Bekuo. The last week was basically our spring break, with a little environmental education thrown in.
We drove from San Jose to a small coast town called Manzanillo, and from there began the 3 hr, 5 mile hike to Punta Mona. During the course of the hike we held a few Golden Orb spiders, saw howler monkeys, sloths, leafcutter ants (its just like watching A Bug´s Life!), bullet ants, poison dart frogs and eyelash vipers. We also sampled three different kinds of coconuts, and saw countless other fruits growing along the way. We really were living in a tropical paradise....walk two minutes from the bungalow and you are at the ocean. Look down the beach and see Panama about 10 miles down (no, we didnt go visit it).
When we reached Punta Mona, we were welcomed by the staff and interns, about 20 people in all. I have never experienced community as we did at Punta Mona. Everyone living together in a few big rooms and an open-air yoga hut, preparing and eating every meal together. It really bonded our group, as well as allowed us to make relationships with the others living at Punta Mona.
Punta Mona is a self-sustaining community and jungle farm. (I don´t remember the exact words they used to describe it, but it was along those lines). It was really interesting to get to see how they are living, almost completely off their own resources. We learned about all the technology and techniques that they use to conserve and maximize their energy use and natural resources. There were some great lectures about composting and permaculture. I would say that we learned a great deal about environmental stewardship, and now have more practical ideas about how we may be better stewards also. (Don´t worry, it doesn´t mean we have all become raging environmentalists, maybe just a little more thoughtful about our relationship with and to creation).
Overall, it was a marvelous week of ocean swims, early morning yoga, healthy (but great tasting) food, a little learning thrown in here and there, and lots of hammock time. It was also great to spend some time debriefing with the group and really sharing about our Honduran homestays.
Now we´re back in San Jose, gearing up to start going hard again, with lots of lectures, embassy visits, and museums packed into this next week.
Prayer Requests
While the meds from the doctor seemed to be working, my diarhea has returned. I finished off the meds yesterday, so please pray that they will clear everything up. Please pray for health for everyone, as there is always something going around, or someone not feeling the best.
From this point on, we have atleast one paper due every week. I spent the first two days in punta mona writing our first 6 page paper about poverty. We have one due this thursday regarding development agencies, and two more next week. (they just keep coming after that). So please pray that we can be good stewards of our time and that we may be able to think clearly and organize our thoughts well....sometimes we forget that we are actually getting letter grades from this trip!
love you guys,
Emily
We drove from San Jose to a small coast town called Manzanillo, and from there began the 3 hr, 5 mile hike to Punta Mona. During the course of the hike we held a few Golden Orb spiders, saw howler monkeys, sloths, leafcutter ants (its just like watching A Bug´s Life!), bullet ants, poison dart frogs and eyelash vipers. We also sampled three different kinds of coconuts, and saw countless other fruits growing along the way. We really were living in a tropical paradise....walk two minutes from the bungalow and you are at the ocean. Look down the beach and see Panama about 10 miles down (no, we didnt go visit it).
When we reached Punta Mona, we were welcomed by the staff and interns, about 20 people in all. I have never experienced community as we did at Punta Mona. Everyone living together in a few big rooms and an open-air yoga hut, preparing and eating every meal together. It really bonded our group, as well as allowed us to make relationships with the others living at Punta Mona.
Punta Mona is a self-sustaining community and jungle farm. (I don´t remember the exact words they used to describe it, but it was along those lines). It was really interesting to get to see how they are living, almost completely off their own resources. We learned about all the technology and techniques that they use to conserve and maximize their energy use and natural resources. There were some great lectures about composting and permaculture. I would say that we learned a great deal about environmental stewardship, and now have more practical ideas about how we may be better stewards also. (Don´t worry, it doesn´t mean we have all become raging environmentalists, maybe just a little more thoughtful about our relationship with and to creation).
Overall, it was a marvelous week of ocean swims, early morning yoga, healthy (but great tasting) food, a little learning thrown in here and there, and lots of hammock time. It was also great to spend some time debriefing with the group and really sharing about our Honduran homestays.
Now we´re back in San Jose, gearing up to start going hard again, with lots of lectures, embassy visits, and museums packed into this next week.
Prayer Requests
While the meds from the doctor seemed to be working, my diarhea has returned. I finished off the meds yesterday, so please pray that they will clear everything up. Please pray for health for everyone, as there is always something going around, or someone not feeling the best.
From this point on, we have atleast one paper due every week. I spent the first two days in punta mona writing our first 6 page paper about poverty. We have one due this thursday regarding development agencies, and two more next week. (they just keep coming after that). So please pray that we can be good stewards of our time and that we may be able to think clearly and organize our thoughts well....sometimes we forget that we are actually getting letter grades from this trip!
love you guys,
Emily
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Home stay and Costa Rica
Greetings from Costa Rica! We flew from Tegucigalpa, Honduras to San Jose, Costa Rica yesterday. We are staying in a pretty sweet hostel, and are heading to Punta Mona tomorrow. (a self-sustaining island community...can´t wait!).
For my homestay, I was in the community of El Rosario. My parents were Felix and Esther Melgar. They are both in their mid 70s, and still going strong working on their two farms. They grow everything you could imagine-coffee, corn, lemons, pineapples, cacao, coconuts, berries, radishes, bamboo, and lots more. They had countless chickens, a few cows and horses. I was placed through an organization that works with Heiffer International, so it was really interesting to see all the development that Heiffer has brought to the community, in the form of cows, chickens, pigs, fruit trees, microloans, and other ways. My family was quite large, as the two daughters of my host parents and their families lived in houses right next door. A 10 month old grandson lived in our house, and he was a constant joy!
I didn´t really accomplish much during my stay, but I did learn what life is like in rural Honduras. My family wouldn´t allow me to help with much around the house, but I did convince them to let me do my own laundry, and make tortillas. I enjoyed using the pila to wash my clothes, although I´m sure I wouldn´t like to have to use it all the time. I am basically a tortilla-making-fiend, as I did it three times a day. My tortillas were horrible at first, but by the last few days of my stay, they were good enough that I could put them straight onto the stove, without someone else touching them up. Esther was very proud of me , and loved to serve visitors Emi´s tortillas.
I was blessed to have my own room and my own bed. Probably the most awkward moment (among many), was a few nights before I left. I walked into my room to go to bed, and there was a 3 inch spider on the wall in the corner. Once I was able to breath again, I asked my host mother and one of her daughters to help me kill it. They were a little confused, but they came to look at it. As Chunga killed it, I tried to explain in my broken spanish that I don´t mind spiders that much, except that this one was big and in my bedroom. She then made the comment that there are much larger ones. It was a little embarrasing to say the least.
My family was wonderful. It was really hard to leave my host parents. Sometimes I just get so frustrated, thinking that our relationships could have been so much deeper if there wasn´t the huge language barrier. The first few days I didn´t really understand much at all. Everyone speaks so quickly and drops so many letters in the campo, that it was like a totally different language in comparison to Guatemalan spanish. But I am thankful for the relationships I did make.
One funny story is about my mom and me. We never communicated a lot, because we couldn´t really understand each other. One morning, a few days in, I asked her if I could help wash the dishes, and all she understood was the verb lavar, which means to wash. She thought I meant I needed to do my laundry, so she just said mas tarde, mas tarde (later). When she asked me if I needed to do laundry that afternoon, I tried to explain to her that I just wanted to help her with the dishes. The word for dishes is platos, however, she thought I said zapatos (shoes), and said Oh, we can wash your shoes too. It was really funny, and a little frustrating at the same time.
It is so hard to know what to say to describe the last three weeks of my life. In some ways it was like living at the county fair, and in other ways, it was completely new and different. I am so thankful that I was placed with my family, and I pray that God will bless them over and over for their kindness to me.
Prayer requests
While my sinus infection cleared up once I got on antibiotics, I am now on new antibiotics. I never knew what diarhea actually was until 4 days ago. When you get sick in central america, you either have bacteria or amoebas. I have amoebas, and just started the antibiotics a few hours ago. Please pray that they will work quickly, and I will be normal again. Also, pray for the entire group, as there are always a few people dealing with diarhea or colds. (At this moment, there are two of us lucky amoeba folks).
Also, pray for safe travel to Punta Mona tomorrow. We will have a 5 hour bus ride, and then we will load our stuff on a boat to go to the island, and we will take a 5 mile hike to get there. I can´t wait to see all the crazy creatures on the way! Pray that our time in Punta Mona will be deeply meaningful, and that we grow in community and in understanding the experiences we just had in our homestays.
I want to say thank you to all of you that sent me letters! Because of the bad washington weather, we didnt actually get it until halfway through our homestays. I was quite homesick during that time, so it was wonderful to have so many letters to help me not feel quite so homesick.
I love and miss you all, and will talk to you in a week or so!
Emily
For my homestay, I was in the community of El Rosario. My parents were Felix and Esther Melgar. They are both in their mid 70s, and still going strong working on their two farms. They grow everything you could imagine-coffee, corn, lemons, pineapples, cacao, coconuts, berries, radishes, bamboo, and lots more. They had countless chickens, a few cows and horses. I was placed through an organization that works with Heiffer International, so it was really interesting to see all the development that Heiffer has brought to the community, in the form of cows, chickens, pigs, fruit trees, microloans, and other ways. My family was quite large, as the two daughters of my host parents and their families lived in houses right next door. A 10 month old grandson lived in our house, and he was a constant joy!
I didn´t really accomplish much during my stay, but I did learn what life is like in rural Honduras. My family wouldn´t allow me to help with much around the house, but I did convince them to let me do my own laundry, and make tortillas. I enjoyed using the pila to wash my clothes, although I´m sure I wouldn´t like to have to use it all the time. I am basically a tortilla-making-fiend, as I did it three times a day. My tortillas were horrible at first, but by the last few days of my stay, they were good enough that I could put them straight onto the stove, without someone else touching them up. Esther was very proud of me , and loved to serve visitors Emi´s tortillas.
I was blessed to have my own room and my own bed. Probably the most awkward moment (among many), was a few nights before I left. I walked into my room to go to bed, and there was a 3 inch spider on the wall in the corner. Once I was able to breath again, I asked my host mother and one of her daughters to help me kill it. They were a little confused, but they came to look at it. As Chunga killed it, I tried to explain in my broken spanish that I don´t mind spiders that much, except that this one was big and in my bedroom. She then made the comment that there are much larger ones. It was a little embarrasing to say the least.
My family was wonderful. It was really hard to leave my host parents. Sometimes I just get so frustrated, thinking that our relationships could have been so much deeper if there wasn´t the huge language barrier. The first few days I didn´t really understand much at all. Everyone speaks so quickly and drops so many letters in the campo, that it was like a totally different language in comparison to Guatemalan spanish. But I am thankful for the relationships I did make.
One funny story is about my mom and me. We never communicated a lot, because we couldn´t really understand each other. One morning, a few days in, I asked her if I could help wash the dishes, and all she understood was the verb lavar, which means to wash. She thought I meant I needed to do my laundry, so she just said mas tarde, mas tarde (later). When she asked me if I needed to do laundry that afternoon, I tried to explain to her that I just wanted to help her with the dishes. The word for dishes is platos, however, she thought I said zapatos (shoes), and said Oh, we can wash your shoes too. It was really funny, and a little frustrating at the same time.
It is so hard to know what to say to describe the last three weeks of my life. In some ways it was like living at the county fair, and in other ways, it was completely new and different. I am so thankful that I was placed with my family, and I pray that God will bless them over and over for their kindness to me.
Prayer requests
While my sinus infection cleared up once I got on antibiotics, I am now on new antibiotics. I never knew what diarhea actually was until 4 days ago. When you get sick in central america, you either have bacteria or amoebas. I have amoebas, and just started the antibiotics a few hours ago. Please pray that they will work quickly, and I will be normal again. Also, pray for the entire group, as there are always a few people dealing with diarhea or colds. (At this moment, there are two of us lucky amoeba folks).
Also, pray for safe travel to Punta Mona tomorrow. We will have a 5 hour bus ride, and then we will load our stuff on a boat to go to the island, and we will take a 5 mile hike to get there. I can´t wait to see all the crazy creatures on the way! Pray that our time in Punta Mona will be deeply meaningful, and that we grow in community and in understanding the experiences we just had in our homestays.
I want to say thank you to all of you that sent me letters! Because of the bad washington weather, we didnt actually get it until halfway through our homestays. I was quite homesick during that time, so it was wonderful to have so many letters to help me not feel quite so homesick.
I love and miss you all, and will talk to you in a week or so!
Emily
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Honduras
Okay, so when I say this will be my last post in awhile, I mean it this time. We crossed the border into Honduras yesterday without any problems at all (we didnt even have to get out of the buses, our leaders just took the big stacks of passports into the office, came out, and we drove on through). Dan Plies and Karla Morgan met us there, it is great to see them again. We are staying in Copan, a little touristy town which is only about 20 minutes away from the border.
Honduras is definately completely different from Guatemala. For one thing, it is way hotter and more humid here. There are other small things, such as the people just look a little different here. There is a much lower concentration of indigenous peoples in Honduras, compared to the many in Guatemala.
This morning we went to visit the Copan Ruinas, it was amazing. We spent about two hours walking around the ruins with a guide. It is just so overwhelming for me to imagine people actually living in such a place. The Mayans were pretty legit back in the day, everything from living in stone houses with really tall steps, to playing games with an 8 pound ball you have to bounce off your knees or hips, and then the captain of the winning team is sacrificed to the gods, as an honor for winning (getting to go straight to the afterlife, and have virgins waiting for you). It fills you with awe, the structures that these people built and the beauty of them all. I have a hard time imagining people actually living there.
Tonight is our last night together. Tomorrow morning we head out in our different cluster groups, and go to our homestays. I dont yet know where I am going, but will find out in the next few hours. On February 27th, we will meet together in our smaller groups and travel to the capital, Tegucigalpa.
Prayer requests
Please pray that I will make relationships with my host family members quickly, as I am most worried about feeling lonely.
Also, pray for all of us and our spanish skills. The spanish spoken in the campo is quite different from the spanish we learn at school.
Many people have been feeling kind of sick the last few days. Pray that we will all get healthy so that we may fully enjoy our time in our homestays. I have a sinus infection, but started on some antibiotics last night. Please pray that they will work quickly, and that I will be 100% again soon. And pray that we will all be healthy during the entirety of our homestay.
Well, I will really miss all of you these next three weeks. Please make sure to continue emailing me, so that when I do finally get to check my email, I will have emails. Also, there is another mail dropoff time coming up soon, I would always love mail.
I love you all and covet your prayers. Talk to you in a few weeks!
Emily
Honduras is definately completely different from Guatemala. For one thing, it is way hotter and more humid here. There are other small things, such as the people just look a little different here. There is a much lower concentration of indigenous peoples in Honduras, compared to the many in Guatemala.
This morning we went to visit the Copan Ruinas, it was amazing. We spent about two hours walking around the ruins with a guide. It is just so overwhelming for me to imagine people actually living in such a place. The Mayans were pretty legit back in the day, everything from living in stone houses with really tall steps, to playing games with an 8 pound ball you have to bounce off your knees or hips, and then the captain of the winning team is sacrificed to the gods, as an honor for winning (getting to go straight to the afterlife, and have virgins waiting for you). It fills you with awe, the structures that these people built and the beauty of them all. I have a hard time imagining people actually living there.
Tonight is our last night together. Tomorrow morning we head out in our different cluster groups, and go to our homestays. I dont yet know where I am going, but will find out in the next few hours. On February 27th, we will meet together in our smaller groups and travel to the capital, Tegucigalpa.
Prayer requests
Please pray that I will make relationships with my host family members quickly, as I am most worried about feeling lonely.
Also, pray for all of us and our spanish skills. The spanish spoken in the campo is quite different from the spanish we learn at school.
Many people have been feeling kind of sick the last few days. Pray that we will all get healthy so that we may fully enjoy our time in our homestays. I have a sinus infection, but started on some antibiotics last night. Please pray that they will work quickly, and that I will be 100% again soon. And pray that we will all be healthy during the entirety of our homestay.
Well, I will really miss all of you these next three weeks. Please make sure to continue emailing me, so that when I do finally get to check my email, I will have emails. Also, there is another mail dropoff time coming up soon, I would always love mail.
I love you all and covet your prayers. Talk to you in a few weeks!
Emily
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Back from The Plunge & Honduras
Yesterday was the end of The Plunge, and it was amazing. I was with Ryan Sobotka, Richie Ressel, and Shiloh Dietz. We went to this teeny like town called San Felipe, about an hour from Xela...it was like a tropical paradise, only without any tourism or restaurants. Actually, it had two, one of them being the hotel we were staying in. We didn't do a whole lot; just lounged around...took naps, hung out on the deck of our hotel, watched the superbowl in our room...we basically only went out of our hotel to eat, after we realized that there was nothing to do in the town. We got eaten alive by mosquitoes in our hotel room the first night. (We left the windows open because it was really hot and humid, and some of the screens had holes). The sound of mosquitoes buzzing around our heads will haunt our dreams from now on, I'm sure:-). The second night we defeated them with a mixture of deet, keeping the windows closed, and putting our heads underneath the sheets. We went to mass sunday night, and it was straight liberation theology, coming out of the beatitudes "blessed are the poor in spirit".
Had lots of fun riding in chicken buses for the 4 hour trip to Antigua yesterday...there were times I was just thinking "are you kidding me? we can't fit another person on this bus!". Well I was wrong, we could fit another 7 people if need be. Antigua is beautiful, but very touristy. It doesn't feel like the same Guatemala that we lived in in Xela. But the weather is great, and the old architecture is amazing. We are staying at a Lutheran retreat center, and it is gorgeous and super relaxing.
Tomorrow we will cross the border into Honduras, so please pray for safety and that everything goes smoothly. After that we will be in Copan for a day or so, and then on friday we will get dropped off at our homestays. Please pray that our homestays will be good experiences: that our spanish will improve greatly, that we will make good relationships with our families, and that we will be healthy and safe.
This is my last post for a few weeks, as I probably won't have internet access at my homestay. I miss you guys and will post again later!
Emily
Had lots of fun riding in chicken buses for the 4 hour trip to Antigua yesterday...there were times I was just thinking "are you kidding me? we can't fit another person on this bus!". Well I was wrong, we could fit another 7 people if need be. Antigua is beautiful, but very touristy. It doesn't feel like the same Guatemala that we lived in in Xela. But the weather is great, and the old architecture is amazing. We are staying at a Lutheran retreat center, and it is gorgeous and super relaxing.
Tomorrow we will cross the border into Honduras, so please pray for safety and that everything goes smoothly. After that we will be in Copan for a day or so, and then on friday we will get dropped off at our homestays. Please pray that our homestays will be good experiences: that our spanish will improve greatly, that we will make good relationships with our families, and that we will be healthy and safe.
This is my last post for a few weeks, as I probably won't have internet access at my homestay. I miss you guys and will post again later!
Emily
Friday, February 1, 2008
The Plunge
Well, today is our last day in Quetzaltenango. It is definately a bittersweet day. I am glad to be done with language school though, it will be nice to only have to worry about Whitworth homework from now on.
Every thursday during our break at 10.30am, Casa Xelaju has a minifiesta to say goodbye to the students that are leaving every week. Also, yesterday was my 20th birthday, so my teacher brought me a giant tigger piñata. We had pasteles (cake), and said our goodbyes. Because we are such a large group, we also had a big fiesta last night at the school. There was a salsa competition, which proved to be very exciting. Also, we had a dinner of pepian con pollo y arroz. Then we had cake again, for my birthday.
Now, we are going to have a meeting regarding The Plunge. Tomorrow morning, we will leave Xela bright and early and split up into groups of 4 or 5. We are then going to be a given a small pueblo outside Xela where we need to go for the day and accomplish a certain job we will recieve. We are in charge of figuring out where we will sleep and eat for the next two days, and monday we all are meeting up in Antigua at noon. So, this is the part of the trip that is a little bit like the amazing race. It should be exciting. Pray for safety for all of the groups as we travel. There are a few people who are sick right now, pray that they get better by tomorrow so that they can go on the plunge also. I have a bit of a cold, please pray that it will not turn into a sinus infection. Also, please pray for out professors who are flying in to meet us this next week and take us over the border to Honduras on wednesday.
This may be my last post for awhile. By the end of next week we will be in our Honduran homestays for 3 weeks. Please pray for health, safety, and our language skills during our time in Honduras.
love you guys!
Emily
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Photos!
A waterfall at the nature reserve in Pana.
Ashley, Diana and Laura watching the monkeys at the reserve.
El volcan de Santiago, in Panajachel.
El volcan de San Pedro, from the boat ride on the way to Santiago.
Yes, all we ever do is homework.
This picture is Cheri, Ashley, Anna, Diana, and Laura having fun at language school.
Joe, Caitlin, Kelsey, Sarah and Cheri taking a break.
Quetzaltanango from above.
The catedral in the middle of Parque Central, downtown Quetzaltenango.
Yes, this is a scary,swingy, hanging bridge at the nature reserve in Panajachel.Well, its another day in Guatemala, one of the few we have left.
Yesterday, we had a lecture regarding the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). It was a little difficult to understand our lecturers spanish, so it was an interesting learning experience.
Today, we just got done with salsa lessons....and we are ready to hit the discotecas again!
We had our second paper, a family narrative in spanish about our host families, due this afternoon. It is nice to have our first two papers out of the way.
Only two more days of language school. Please pray for health for the whole group, and that we will learn a lot in these last two days. Also, please pray for traveling safety this next week.
love you guys!
Emily
Monday, January 28, 2008
Week 3
Well, we are now in week 3, which is our final week of language school. I have so much spanish grammar in my head, I think it might explode! But atleast I am learning a lot.
Last Thursday, a Mayan sacerdote, or priest, came and performed a traditional Mayan worship ceremonly for us at Casa Xelaju. It was very interesting. For an hour, he prayed to Mother Earth and Father Sky, over a fire he constructed out of sugar, candles, wood, incense, and liquor. Sometimes he spoke in Spanish, other times he spoke in his native language of Quiche. His prayers revolved around the restoration of shalom in the community and the world. They were prayers that I would easily pray and did pray along with him, the only difference being to whom he prayed.
On Friday we got up early and left at 7 in the morning to travel to el volcan de Chikabal. It is a volcanoe that erupted some years ago, and now is the location of a gorgeous lake. It is the location of one of Guatemalas last remaining cloud forests. It is illegal to swim in the lake, as it is a sacred mayan place. After a grueling (for some of us) hike, we made it to the top and had a gorgeous view of the lake. We then climbed down 600 stairs and hung out at the lake for awhile. While we were there, we saw some different groups of indigenous people worshipping at the lake.
Friday night, almost our entire group went out to a discoteca and danced the night away. It was great to see our profesores, Kim and Jose Hernandez dancing together. Afterwards, some of us went to another discoteca that had some sweet techno music, and strobe lights. It was a great opportunity to practice our new dance skills.
Saturday morning we got up early (again) and drove to some aguas calientes naturales. The hot springs were amazing! They were made on the side of a mountain in Quezaltenango. There were about 3 different pools of varying temperatures, and we enjoyed them! It was super relaxing.
Saturday night, most of us went to a partido de futbol (soccer game), between the Quetzaltenango Super Chivos, and the Municipal Diablos. It was quite the cultural experience. My host mother had warned us that we would learn lots of bad words at the futbol game, but I dont think I was ready for it. At the beginning of the game, the Super Chivo mascot beat up a piñata of a devil, and then went on to tie it to a fence and burn it. There were fireworks constantly. It was a blast. Unfortunately, neither team scored, so I cant joyously announce to your that my home team, the Super Chivos, won.
Yesterday, we got up at 7 am again and drove 3 and a half hours to the city of Chichicastenango. Also, it was our first time riding in a chicken bus! (very exciting, i can assure you...i actually felt safer in it than in the first class buses we normally take). We visited a catholic church there, which was built by the Spanish in the 1600s. They built it right on top of a Mayan sacred place. For this reason,the church has become a mixture of catholicism and traditional mayan religous practices. We then spent a few hours walking around their giant market.
As for today, we just got done with a lecture on liberation theology. It was very interesting (esp. since we all had some background on liberation theology from our latin american politics class). Our speaker, Henri, actually knew Monseñor Romero before he was martyred.
Our first paper for Whitworth was due today, and we have one in spanish due wednesday, so please pray that we are all able to work hard and manage our time well. Pray that our spanish improves rapidly, and that we wont worry about our upcoming homestays in Honduras.
Love you all!
Emily
Last Thursday, a Mayan sacerdote, or priest, came and performed a traditional Mayan worship ceremonly for us at Casa Xelaju. It was very interesting. For an hour, he prayed to Mother Earth and Father Sky, over a fire he constructed out of sugar, candles, wood, incense, and liquor. Sometimes he spoke in Spanish, other times he spoke in his native language of Quiche. His prayers revolved around the restoration of shalom in the community and the world. They were prayers that I would easily pray and did pray along with him, the only difference being to whom he prayed.
On Friday we got up early and left at 7 in the morning to travel to el volcan de Chikabal. It is a volcanoe that erupted some years ago, and now is the location of a gorgeous lake. It is the location of one of Guatemalas last remaining cloud forests. It is illegal to swim in the lake, as it is a sacred mayan place. After a grueling (for some of us) hike, we made it to the top and had a gorgeous view of the lake. We then climbed down 600 stairs and hung out at the lake for awhile. While we were there, we saw some different groups of indigenous people worshipping at the lake.
Friday night, almost our entire group went out to a discoteca and danced the night away. It was great to see our profesores, Kim and Jose Hernandez dancing together. Afterwards, some of us went to another discoteca that had some sweet techno music, and strobe lights. It was a great opportunity to practice our new dance skills.
Saturday morning we got up early (again) and drove to some aguas calientes naturales. The hot springs were amazing! They were made on the side of a mountain in Quezaltenango. There were about 3 different pools of varying temperatures, and we enjoyed them! It was super relaxing.
Saturday night, most of us went to a partido de futbol (soccer game), between the Quetzaltenango Super Chivos, and the Municipal Diablos. It was quite the cultural experience. My host mother had warned us that we would learn lots of bad words at the futbol game, but I dont think I was ready for it. At the beginning of the game, the Super Chivo mascot beat up a piñata of a devil, and then went on to tie it to a fence and burn it. There were fireworks constantly. It was a blast. Unfortunately, neither team scored, so I cant joyously announce to your that my home team, the Super Chivos, won.
Yesterday, we got up at 7 am again and drove 3 and a half hours to the city of Chichicastenango. Also, it was our first time riding in a chicken bus! (very exciting, i can assure you...i actually felt safer in it than in the first class buses we normally take). We visited a catholic church there, which was built by the Spanish in the 1600s. They built it right on top of a Mayan sacred place. For this reason,the church has become a mixture of catholicism and traditional mayan religous practices. We then spent a few hours walking around their giant market.
As for today, we just got done with a lecture on liberation theology. It was very interesting (esp. since we all had some background on liberation theology from our latin american politics class). Our speaker, Henri, actually knew Monseñor Romero before he was martyred.
Our first paper for Whitworth was due today, and we have one in spanish due wednesday, so please pray that we are all able to work hard and manage our time well. Pray that our spanish improves rapidly, and that we wont worry about our upcoming homestays in Honduras.
Love you all!
Emily
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Week 2
Hey everyone,
Well, we are halfway through week two now. It seems like we have been here forever, because every day is packed full of activities. Last week half of our group took a 45min hike up the mountain behind the school and went to some natural saunas. They were hot! Then on Friday, the same half of our group went to a little pueblo about 20 minutes up the mountain called La Pedrera. Casa Xelaju started an afterschool program for the children there. So we spent the afternoon teaching them some english and playing games (it included a lot of head, shoulders, knees, and toes, gestures, and hokey pokeying). Then we had some rec time with freeze tag and the blob. Afterwards the kids got a big snack, and we sent them on their way home. It was so much fun working with the kids...from 3 years old to probably 13. We may have the opportunity to help there again sometime next week.
We left early saturday morning for the city of Panajachel. It is abou 3 hours away from Xela. On the way, we stopped at a womens cooperative and learned all about how they have regained self confidence and the ability to provide for their families after the deaths of all of their husbands during the war. Then we did a little shopping among their handicrafts.
Pana is a very touristy town right outside Lake Atitlan. Atitlan is beautiful! It is a very touristy spot because there are 4 or 5 Indigenous Mayan communities surrounding the lake. Sunday afternoon we took a 45 min boat ride the pueblo of Santiago. The ride was amazing! Santiago is nestled in between two volcanoes, San Pedro and Santiago. We visisted a church where an American priest was martyred in the 80s because of the work he was doing with the poor. The boat ride on the way back was extremely windy, and we enjoyed fighting the wind standing on the top of the boat the whole way back.
Yesterday, we had a lecture regarding the politics of Guatemala and the job of the new President. It was a little hard to understand because it was 2 hours of politics in Spanish, but it was interesting.
Today, we just got done learning how to dance the merengue! It was a blast. Now I am off for a 1 on 2 with my profesores, and then it is off to homework! Please pray for health and good time management for everyone.
I love and miss you guys!
Emily
Well, we are halfway through week two now. It seems like we have been here forever, because every day is packed full of activities. Last week half of our group took a 45min hike up the mountain behind the school and went to some natural saunas. They were hot! Then on Friday, the same half of our group went to a little pueblo about 20 minutes up the mountain called La Pedrera. Casa Xelaju started an afterschool program for the children there. So we spent the afternoon teaching them some english and playing games (it included a lot of head, shoulders, knees, and toes, gestures, and hokey pokeying). Then we had some rec time with freeze tag and the blob. Afterwards the kids got a big snack, and we sent them on their way home. It was so much fun working with the kids...from 3 years old to probably 13. We may have the opportunity to help there again sometime next week.
We left early saturday morning for the city of Panajachel. It is abou 3 hours away from Xela. On the way, we stopped at a womens cooperative and learned all about how they have regained self confidence and the ability to provide for their families after the deaths of all of their husbands during the war. Then we did a little shopping among their handicrafts.
Pana is a very touristy town right outside Lake Atitlan. Atitlan is beautiful! It is a very touristy spot because there are 4 or 5 Indigenous Mayan communities surrounding the lake. Sunday afternoon we took a 45 min boat ride the pueblo of Santiago. The ride was amazing! Santiago is nestled in between two volcanoes, San Pedro and Santiago. We visisted a church where an American priest was martyred in the 80s because of the work he was doing with the poor. The boat ride on the way back was extremely windy, and we enjoyed fighting the wind standing on the top of the boat the whole way back.
Yesterday, we had a lecture regarding the politics of Guatemala and the job of the new President. It was a little hard to understand because it was 2 hours of politics in Spanish, but it was interesting.
Today, we just got done learning how to dance the merengue! It was a blast. Now I am off for a 1 on 2 with my profesores, and then it is off to homework! Please pray for health and good time management for everyone.
I love and miss you guys!
Emily
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Estoy aqui!
Well, after 30 hours of grueling flights, layovers, and bus rides, we made it safely to Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.
I am staying with two other girls from our group, and our house family is great. Judy and Pepe are our host parents, and we are having a good time with them. Judy is an amazing cook, and Pepe is really funny. We have been surprised with how well we actually understand them, maybe it has something to do with the fact that they have been housing language school students for the last 13 years. Judy speaks very slowly and understands enough english that we communicate easily with her. Pepes spanish is a little harder to understand, and he doesnt know any english, so he doesnt really talk much. But when he does, it is usually funny.They have a very nice house, and we have plenty of space. We even have as many hot showers as we want! The best part is, we can flush our toilet paper at their house!!! All other places in central america, you really cant because of the bad sewer systems.
Today was our second day of language school, and it has been pretty intense. We are studying with tutors one-on-one for 5 hours in the morning. It gets kind of long, and I dont really feel like my spanish is improving yet, but Im sure it will. Every afternoon, we go on some kind of activity through the school. Today we went to a ladies house and she taught us how to make chocolate which will be used for hot chocolate. The weather her is very nice, although a little chilly.
That is all for now. I will try to write more soon.
I love and miss you guys!
I am staying with two other girls from our group, and our house family is great. Judy and Pepe are our host parents, and we are having a good time with them. Judy is an amazing cook, and Pepe is really funny. We have been surprised with how well we actually understand them, maybe it has something to do with the fact that they have been housing language school students for the last 13 years. Judy speaks very slowly and understands enough english that we communicate easily with her. Pepes spanish is a little harder to understand, and he doesnt know any english, so he doesnt really talk much. But when he does, it is usually funny.They have a very nice house, and we have plenty of space. We even have as many hot showers as we want! The best part is, we can flush our toilet paper at their house!!! All other places in central america, you really cant because of the bad sewer systems.
Today was our second day of language school, and it has been pretty intense. We are studying with tutors one-on-one for 5 hours in the morning. It gets kind of long, and I dont really feel like my spanish is improving yet, but Im sure it will. Every afternoon, we go on some kind of activity through the school. Today we went to a ladies house and she taught us how to make chocolate which will be used for hot chocolate. The weather her is very nice, although a little chilly.
That is all for now. I will try to write more soon.
I love and miss you guys!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Basic Itinerary
Hey everyone,
Here is a basic itinerary so that you all have a general idea of what I'll be doing while I'm gone:
Jan 11-12: Depart (Meet in the HUB at 4 for a prayer/send off) Spokane --> Seattle --> Houston --> Guatemala City --> Quezaltenango
Jan 12-Feb 5 or 6: Be in Quezaltenango for language school
JAN 25: DEADLINE FOR LETTERS, POSTCARDS, AND CARDS TO CHARLES TAPPA #1 (see below for address)
Feb 5-6: move to Copan
Feb 8: Students disperse to their assigned service sites with partner non-governmental organizations in northern Honduras. They will be in the various communities for approximately 3 1/2 weeks. During this time, the students may not have access to telephones or internet
FEB 26: DEADLINES FOR LETTERS, POSTCARDS, AND CARDS TO CHARLES TAPPA #2
March 1: Fly to San Jose, Costa Rica
March 3-9: Group Retreat to Punta Mona
MAR 14: DEADLINE FOR LETTERS, POSTCARDS, AND CARDS TO CHARLES TAPPA #3
Mar 20-23: Easter in San Jose
Mar 24: Travel to Managua, Nicaragua (we will be there for 3 weeks doing various things)
April 11: Travel to El Salvador (we will be there for 3 weeks doing various things)
May 2: return to Spokane
May 10: closing celebration at Whitworth. CASP PRESENTATION AT 1:30. Basically we will try to sum up what we have learned.
Tomorrow is the day! We leave Spokane early tomorrow evening, and off we go! Please pray for safe travels and that no one will forget anything really important:-). Please pray that I will really push myself when it comes to making close relationships with the people in our group, and with the people I meet in Central America. Also, please pray against diarrhea. Yes, it will be an issue for everyone.
Thanks so much and I love and will miss you all!
Emily
Here is a basic itinerary so that you all have a general idea of what I'll be doing while I'm gone:
Jan 11-12: Depart (Meet in the HUB at 4 for a prayer/send off) Spokane --> Seattle --> Houston --> Guatemala City --> Quezaltenango
Jan 12-Feb 5 or 6: Be in Quezaltenango for language school
JAN 25: DEADLINE FOR LETTERS, POSTCARDS, AND CARDS TO CHARLES TAPPA #1 (see below for address)
Feb 5-6: move to Copan
Feb 8: Students disperse to their assigned service sites with partner non-governmental organizations in northern Honduras. They will be in the various communities for approximately 3 1/2 weeks. During this time, the students may not have access to telephones or internet
FEB 26: DEADLINES FOR LETTERS, POSTCARDS, AND CARDS TO CHARLES TAPPA #2
March 1: Fly to San Jose, Costa Rica
March 3-9: Group Retreat to Punta Mona
MAR 14: DEADLINE FOR LETTERS, POSTCARDS, AND CARDS TO CHARLES TAPPA #3
Mar 20-23: Easter in San Jose
Mar 24: Travel to Managua, Nicaragua (we will be there for 3 weeks doing various things)
April 11: Travel to El Salvador (we will be there for 3 weeks doing various things)
May 2: return to Spokane
May 10: closing celebration at Whitworth. CASP PRESENTATION AT 1:30. Basically we will try to sum up what we have learned.
Tomorrow is the day! We leave Spokane early tomorrow evening, and off we go! Please pray for safe travels and that no one will forget anything really important:-). Please pray that I will really push myself when it comes to making close relationships with the people in our group, and with the people I meet in Central America. Also, please pray against diarrhea. Yes, it will be an issue for everyone.
Thanks so much and I love and will miss you all!
Emily
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Letters Change
Hey everyone,
So the dates that letters need to be sent in by have been changed to:
By 5pm:
January 25, 2008, Friday
February 26, 2008, Tuesday (this is a change)
March 14, 2008, Friday (this is a change)
I would appreciate any letters you decide to write- they will be words from home that keep me happy while I'm gone:-)
So the dates that letters need to be sent in by have been changed to:
By 5pm:
January 25, 2008, Friday
February 26, 2008, Tuesday (this is a change)
March 14, 2008, Friday (this is a change)
I would appreciate any letters you decide to write- they will be words from home that keep me happy while I'm gone:-)
Monday, January 7, 2008
Letters!
Here are the dates for dropping off mail if you would like to send me cards or letters; I would REALLY appreciate them:-)
Tuesday, February 26, 2008 by 5pm
Tuesday, March 25, 2008 by 5pm
Please address the mail:
Emily Dufault
Central America Study Program
c/o Charles TappaOff-Campus Programs
Whitworth University
300 W. Hawthorne Rd
Spokane, WA 99202
Also, it is important to note that only letters or cards will be sent on to me - no gifts, food or packages.
In the way of email, I will be using my gmail the most while I am gone- edufault@gmail.com
Gracias!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008 by 5pm
Tuesday, March 25, 2008 by 5pm
Please address the mail:
Emily Dufault
Central America Study Program
c/o Charles TappaOff-Campus Programs
Whitworth University
300 W. Hawthorne Rd
Spokane, WA 99202
Also, it is important to note that only letters or cards will be sent on to me - no gifts, food or packages.
In the way of email, I will be using my gmail the most while I am gone- edufault@gmail.com
Gracias!
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